Surgical procedures are commonly used to correct fractures to the bones of the hand and forearm. Fractures of the distal radius, commonly known as Colles' fractures, are among the most common fractures occurring in humans in the United States. Repair of a Colles' fracture may entail open reduction of the fracture and internal fixation of the fractured radius in order to stabilize the comminuted portions of the bone. Internal fixation requires the use of surgical procedures.
Due to the large number of bones, tendons, and muscles in the hand and forearm, surgical procedures affecting these areas require a high degree precision. These procedures are facilitated by the use of specialized operating surfaces which provide greater access to the hand and forearm during the surgical procedure. Such procedures are further facilitated through the use of specialized operating tables which retain the fractured bones of the hand and forearm in a "reduced" or corrected position throughout the surgical procedure.
Examples of fracture reducing devices are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,617 to Trott, "Fracture Reducing Appliance for the Arm," (issued Sept. 26, 1972); U.S. Pat. No, 3,850,166 to Tamny, et al., "Fracture Reduction System," (issued Nov. 26, 1974); U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,970 to Carrel, "Apparatus and Method for Treatment of Comminuted Colles, Fracture," (issued Oct. 18, 1983); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,506 to Johansson, et al., "Bone Aligning Apparatus," (issued May 1, 1984). Each of these references provides a device for the reduction of fractures of the distal radius. However, the devices disclosed by Trott, Tamny, et al., Carrel, and Johansson, et al., do not orient the hand and forearm in such a way as to facilitate surgical procedures on the hand and forearm. The hand traction surgical table of the present invention provides a reduction force to the bones of the wrist such that the hand and forearm are maintained in a position in which they can be treated surgically.
A specialized operating surface for the hand and forearm preferably provides for the precise application of a predetermined reduction force which can be varied in accordance with the needs of the particular surgical procedure. The hand traction surgical table of the present invention is constructed to provide for the precise application of a predetermined reduction force to maintain the alignment of the fractured bone fragments while simultaneously retaining the hand and forearm in a standard surgical position, i.e., a position commonly used by orthopedic surgeons in hand and wrist surgery.